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Dear Ridgewood Families & Friends,
In December, I like to take a minute and reflect on the past year, to think about our successes and
our challenges, and to prepare for the coming year. But I’ve given up the process of setting a New Year’s
Resolution. Instead of resolving to lose weight, or organize the attic (or better yet, get my desk cleaned
up!), I’m trying to focus more on the things that matter every day.
My Ridgewood resolutions are focused on building relationships, and strengthening our program.
It’s so important to me that our mission of cultivating the intellect, creativity, and character of our stu-
dents be always at the forefront of our programs. It’s important that we remember our child-centered ap-
proach, and keep our own traditions, like the Winter Play and the Big/Little mentorship program, alive
and strong! I’m so proud of our legacy in Springfield, as the only progressive, S.T.E.A.M.-focused elemen-
tary school (and you’ll hear the term S.T.E.A.M. more and more, as we tout our successes as an award-
winning STEM curriculum, with visual and performing Arts infused – that’s the A in S.T.E.A.M.).
And in this month that is so often focused on family, I’m also thinking of the Ridgewood family.
This year, for the first time, we published our Alumni and Family Magazine, and hosted two new signature
events to help our alumni reconnect. We welcomed our young alumni back for the Summer Soiree in
June, and we hosted alumni from all generations at our first Alumni Weekend in October. Family has al-
ways come first at Ridgewood, and it’s so important to me to remember our “extended family” and wel-
come them home again.
So as you can see, my end-of-the-year resolutions have little to do with “quick fixes” and much to
do with the ongoing spirit of who Ridgewood has always been. Thank you for coming along for this year’s
wild and wonderful ride. I’m so excited to see what next year has in store for us, and to share that discov-
ery with our children.
May the New Year bring you and your families health, happiness, and light!
~Dr. Williams~
Message from the Head of School
Winter 2014
Volume 2 , Issue 2
Ridgewood School the light of learning
The first graders took a trip to Glen Helen to
explore nature!
I saw lots of trees. They were pretty. Some
were bending. Some had leaves on them.
Some did not have any leaves. –Audrey
I saw a black rat snake. The black rat snake
was cool. I liked the black rat snake. No, I
loved the black rat snake! It was in a cage
smelling. It was on a branch.—Luke
Lower Level News
Page 2 Ridgewood School
Upper Level News
Student of the Month
Congratulations to second grader Dominique
Rogers who was nominated as the October
student of the month!
She is always willing to
help in and out of the
classroom!
Third grade news: Margaret Daniel has passed subtrac-tion in XtraMath and is now the first third grader in multiplication. Way to go Margaret! On Thursday, December 4th the third grade class had a special visi-tor. Mrs. McGuffey (Kaden's mom) arranged for one of her students to visit with her service dog. Margaret Kramer gave the stu-dents a short lecture on her service animal, Gust, and then answered questions from the students. The third grade had read a story on service animals and then did some research about different animals used for service animals. It was quite a treat to have a real life service dog come to class. Thanks to Mrs. McGuffey, Ms. Kramer and Gust.
Congratulations to Aseelah Ashraf
who was nominated as the No-
vember student of the month!
Aseelah is an exceptional student.
She excels in the classroom and
has a strong work ethic. She also
has made contributions in the community as well!
The Upper Level students
have begun working on their
Science Fair projects! They
are busy performing experi-
ments and gathering their
information! We cannot wait
to see all their hard work in
January! The Ridgewood
School Science Fair will be
held on January 23!
The first Power of the Pen competition was on December 16!!! The 7th
and 8th grade writing teams went to Clark State to give it all they got!
~May the Power of the Pen be ever in your favor!
Seventh grader Aseelah Ashraf placed 10th and eighth grader Jasmine
Owens placed 12th out of 200 writers from 17 other schools around the
area! These two writers will be moving onto the next level of completion
at the end of March! We will know in January if of the other writers will
be joining them!
Student Council News
Page 3 Volume 2 , Issue 2
Follow our students as they portray the unforgettable story of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory!
We have a cast and practices have started for this year’s school play! Students will be putting on Willy
Wonka Junior this year on January 30-31!! Make sure you come and see their hard work!
The roles are as follows:
Willy Wonka will be played by Mariam Ranginwala
Oompa—Loompas: Jasmine Owens, Morgan Reynolds, Mahum Rauf, Aseelah Ashraf, and Terri Call
Charlie Bucket: Thomas Edwards Veruca Salt: Maleehah Umerani
Mrs. Bucket: Mozie Van Raaij Mr. Salt: Aadil Umerani
Mr. Bucket: Fauzan Akhter Violet Beauregarde: Lena Syed
Grandma Josephine: Bella Gianakopoulos Mrs. Beauregarde: Simra Ahmed
Grandma Gergina: Amal Umerani Mike Teavee: Franklin Williams
Grandpa Joe: Amin Ahmed Ms. Teavee: Audree Speaks
James: Maggie Yang Augustus Gloop: John Koveleski
Matilda: Dakotah Pollard-Kern Mrs. Gloop: Eleni Linardos
Phineas Trout: Kiera Fogarty
In Art class all upper level students are studying the art of making masks. They are looking at
how they are used to transform oneself whether it be at Halloween and theatre or as in other cultures
for ceremonies and celebration. They used the form of jugs and
chose an animal and stylized mask by exaggeration of parts of an
animal. The lower level is studying Paul Klee who emphasizes color,
line, and shape. Kindergarten is studying the illustrations of Leo
Lionni and Eric Carl by ripping paper to create pictures.
Hello Ridgewood families, This is Student Council President Simra Ahmed. Stu-
dent Council has planned many fun and exciting events such as the Halloween bash, the waffle breakfast, buckeye bowling, babysitting night, incentive days for the food drive, and bake sales. Student Council also raised $605 for Honor Flight and $1000 for the Breast Cancer Endowment Fund.
We have many upcoming events such as super bowling night, parties at the Parent Infant Center, and the annual cook-off. Student Council thanks you for your support. We appreciate everything you do to help us and the school.
~Simra Ahmed
Music & Art
We post lots of
photos & glimpses
into your student’s
school day on
Facebook, so
please like our
page!
Page 4 Ridgewood School
Other News
The 2014 School Spelling Bee Winners
1st Place: Amal Umerani
2nd Place: Ibrahim Ranginwala
3rd Place: Jordan Rogers
Amal will be going to the Re-
gional Spelling Bee on January
15 at South Vienna Middle
School!
Box Tops and Labels for Education
Every year the school collects box tops for education and labels for educa-
tion. Our goal for box tops this year is to raise $1,000! Last year we were able to
raise $554 and have been able to raise $1,919.85 from the day we started. Please
help us reach our goal by asking friends and family members to save their box tops
and send them to school with your children!! We have been able to get new gym
equipment with the labels for education that have been collected and have 8,717
points in the bank today! Keep up the hard work and continue to collect!!!
Box Tops for Education today = $218.00
Goal for the Year = $1,000
Thank you to everyone who
made Multicultural Night a
huge success this year! Be-
tween the food, performances,
and door contest everyone
helped make this another year
to remember!
We live in a world surrounded by technology. And we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on understanding how technology works. But only a tiny fraction of us are learning computer science, and less students are studying it than a decade ago.
That’s why Ridgewood has joined in on the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (Dec. 8-14). Last year, Ridgewood participated in this program, along with 15 mil-lion other students. This year Ridgewood joined students worldwide to reach 100 million students!
Our Hour of Code is a statement that Ridgewood is ready to teach these foundational 21st century skills.
A big thank you
goes to the Co-
lumbus Zoo who
came and gave a
presentation!
Make sure you mark your calendar! The annual Hearts and Hands Auc-
tion will be held on March 13, 2015 at the Springfield Country Club! The
event chairs this year are Samantha Berkhofer and Michelle Mack.
Dear Ridgewood Families, Did you know that staying fit during the coming winter months is very important to your overall mental health (not just physical health)? It is common to feel lethargic or down and even gain weight during the wintertime. These holiday “gifts” are not inevitable. You can combat the winter blues with exercise! Exercise will burn calories, make you feel warmer, and it will energize you. One way or another, find a way to do this for yourself to be the best that you can be all year ‘round! Here are some things going on locally in the fitness world: Outdoor activities are plentiful when it snows. Just be careful and be sure to dress with appropriate clothing and gear respective to each activity. Warm and appropriate gear provide the key to having fun in the cold and snowy outdoors! Here are some ideas: -Mad River Mountain in Zanesfield, Ohio offers skiing, snowboarding, and sledding (and they offer lessons even if you don’t know what you are doing at all!) Wear a helmet if you do! Everyone knows that real boarders and real skiers are the ones who wear helmets. -Go sledding! It’s free and you can burn hundreds of calories in a short amount of time running up and down the hill with your sled. -Buy a pair of “YakTraks” and keep on running! You can run on the snow and ice just by fitting a pair of these babies right over the running shoes you already have. However, I do recommend a running shoe made for winter with Gortex (waterproof material) so that your feet stay dry. -Get a Phat Bike (this is a mountain bike with especially fat tires which will allow you to mountain bike in the snow). I might just put this on my Christmas list to Santa this year…. -Shovel the driveway! Shoveling can burn a lot of calories in a short period, especially if you have a lot to do! Don’t like the cold? There is so much to do around here that is fun and will keep you fit! Here are some indoor fitness ideas to help you forget about the cold outside: -Youth Volleyball registration is coming up with National Trail Parks & Rec. Division in Springfield. Here is the info and it is for Grades 3 - 6: -Registration: January 1 – February 13 / Registration Fee: $30
-The 3rd – 4th grade coed league will introduce players to volleyball by utilizing wash scoring. This will help to develop all fundamental skills of the game. The 5th - 6th grade co-ed league will utilize traditional rally scoring, and will help to intro-duce new players to the game and continue to develop returning players’ skills. Teams are organized geographically by school districts when possible. Practices and games are scheduled at local schools throughout Clark County and will be held in March and April. Space for Youth Volleyball is limited.
-Ice Skating and Ice Hockey are available at the NTPRD chiller. You may do classes, leagues, tournaments, or just simple rec -reation with family or friends. Contact 323-7465 or visit www.ntprdchiller.com for more information. -Zumba for Kids is available at the St. John’s Lutheran Church on 27 N. Wittenberg Avenue. For more information on the classes, please call Erica Sheeley at 302-262-8006. She currently teaches a class on Thursdays from 5:00-5:30 at St. John's Lutheran Church and it is $25 a month per child. If a family registers more than one child they will get a $3 dis- count. -Martial Arts classes are easy to find in the area and there are several great instructors in the area. I personally go to Storm Mixed Martial Arts with my family and I highly recommend this studio as it is very family friendly. Many Ridgewood famil- ies are a part of the Storm family. -Indoor Rock Climbing is very fun. If you are in the neighborhood, check out Urban Krag Climbing Center in Dayton, Ohio. It is a climbing center made from an old cathedral. They offer classes for any age or ability. Check it out at www.urbankrag.com. It’s pretty neat. -Spinning is a great way to stay in shape and it is fun. The room is usually dark and the music is pumping and the workout is al ways intense. There is so much to do right here in Springfield, Ohio. If you are making excuses and stuck on the couch, you are only kidding yourself. Get up and go have fun and burn some calories. I have only heard back from one parent who said they can help with a running club. Please let me know if you can help with that and then we can all take turns meeting with the kids and running once or twice a week together. We could even try some winter trail running. Just let me know who is interested and we can get it going. Thank you! Happy Winter! Sincerely, Mrs. Gianakopoulos (“Mrs. G”) Phys. Ed. Teacher, Ridgewood School
Ridgewood School Page 5
Health
Ridgewood School creates an unparalleled learning environment through the
teamwork of committed students, staff & parents.
Our learning environment:
Inspires the joy of learning and discovery
Encourages academic excellence
Celebrates diversity
Fosters respect
Expects integrity
Embraces responsibility
Promotes leadership
Instills citizenship
Engages the whole child
Dates to Remember:
December 16 Power of the Pen at Clark State
December 19 Holiday Party 2:00
December 19 Nutcracker
December 15– January 9 Coat/ Hat/ Glove Drive for Rocking Horse
December 20—January 4 Holiday Break
January 5 Return to School
January 9 Early Release
January 16 End of Grading Period
January 19 No School —- MLK Day
January 23 Ridgewood Science Fair
January 23 Super Blowing Night at Northridge Lanes 6-8 PM
January 26-Febuary 10 Paper Product Drive for IHN Homeless Shelter
January 30-31 Willy Wonka Junior — Winter Musical
February 2-7 8th Grade Trip
February 12 Deliver Valentines to local Nursing Homes
February 13 No School
February 16 No School
February 21 Third Annual Cook-Off 11:30 AM—1 PM
March 13 Hearts & Hands Auction
March 27 End of Grading Period
March 30—April 4 Spring Break
Ridgewood Faculty and Staff
Mrs. Heil [email protected]
Mrs. Suzel [email protected]
Mrs. Foreman [email protected]
Mrs. Mastin [email protected]
Mrs. Schulz [email protected]
Miss Powers [email protected]
Mr. Metzger [email protected]
Miss. Huey [email protected]
Mrs. Clark [email protected]
Mrs. Augustus [email protected]
Mr. Weller [email protected]
Mrs. Loftis [email protected]
Mrs. Gianakopoulos [email protected]
Mrs. Hearlihy [email protected]
Mrs. Barnes [email protected]
Mr. Berkhofer [email protected]
Mrs. Fissel [email protected]
Mrs. Hallmark [email protected]
Dr. Williams [email protected]
